Islamabad: All the mainstream political parties were agreed upon the proposal that a charter of economy should be decided and made it the part larger economic agenda for the welfare of people of Pakistan.
The consensus was developed at a session on “Charter of Economy: Moving towards a Consensus on Socio-economic Agenda” on the concluding day 20th Sustainable Development Conference organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute here on Thursday.
ANP’s former Senator Afrasiab Khattak said that the poverty rate in FATA is 73% so if charter of economy is initiated, equal focus can be given on all districts.
PPP’s Nafeesa Shah, MNA, said that the state of privatization in the charter of economy needs to be monitored and it should be checked if privatization is a success or not.
PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar, MNA, said that the current trade deficit is increasing and the Foreign Exchange Policy needs to be revised. Privatization is more a political than an economic decision so it is recommended that privatization should be done in the first year of elections, he said.
Haroon Sharif from the World Bank suggested to merge ministries and suggested as to how decisions should be made in a volatile country like Pakistan.
PTI’s Senator Shibli Faraz said that the privatization model needs to be revised. Pakistan has only 5% of its trade with the region and more focus on flow of foreign exchange is imperative for the democratic government. Rana Afzal, MNA, said that Pakistan is providing cheapest petroleum in the region and two energy plants have been installed to improve the energy crisis.
Senator Noman Wazir said that state-owned enterprises can only work if there is zero political involvement at micro level. Advisor to PM on Finance Miftah Ismail said that the allegations against privatization are not fair as only 49% company ownership can be privatized. Better Privatization models should be adopted so that more profits are generated, he added.
Speaking at a session on ‘Climate Change-Driven Migration and Regional/Global Security’ MNA Uzair Khan said climate change is a reality and we need to aggressively pursue climate change diplomacy to ensure that we do not suffer the consequences of food insecurity, job loss and internal migration.
Former Information Minister Nisar Memon said that migration could be either permanent or temporary and it could be induced by several circumstances. Owing to sea erosion, most of migration takes place at the coastline, he said, adding that India should be asked to reduce conflict in the Siachen region.
Dr Waseem Ishaque from National Defense University said Pakistan is located atop two tectonic plates, that’s why it is more likely to suffer from violent earthquakes. Environmental Expert Dr Pervaiz Amir said that glaciers are melting fast making the water dirty and no one wants to go back to the areas from where he migrates.
Dr Iqrar Ahmed from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, said that unpredictable events are occurring due to climate change such as floods, so there is an opportunity for research. Drawbacks of climate change are migration and it influences human development every year, he added.
Irfan Tariq from Ministry of Climate Change said provincial and regional strategies need to be devised to overcome the issue of climate change driven migration. Ms Farzana Yaqoob said the entire Himalayan region is facing brunt of climate change and migration is going on in search of better facilities.
Rana Afzal, Parliamentary Secretary for Finance, said professionals need to lead in the policy making for budgetary allocations. “There should be less BHUs but well-equipped. Health Care Education is integral.” Bureaucrats should sensitize the parliamentarians so that the budget allocation can be achieved authentically.
Mehmood Jan, MPA, said in KP budget allocation has increased from Rs18 billion in 2013 to Rs 67 billion in 2016-17. Nabila Khan, the member of Punjab Assembly’s Task Force, said that more awareness and education of health care needs to be initiated. Tamkeen Akhtar Niazi said that preventive health and hygiene care should be launched in schools, and charity hospitals need to be working with the government. Dr Najma Afzal said that all the provinces are decentralized and budget allocation should be as per needs. Nausheen Hamid from PTI standing committee in Punjab Assembly, said the authenticity of our health care is doubtful at present and needs to be audited
Shazia Sohail , MNA, said that it is unfortunate that ground level and budget allocation has a gap and audits need to be conducted. Romina Khursheed, MNA, said that Collective initiatives will be more affective. Ejaz Hafeez, Deputy Mayor, Lahore, said that quality of medicines are important and they are being used at the BHUs.